OTTAWA – The incumbent wireless operators want a straight-up winner-take-all auction (mostly).
Those newer to the wireless game want some protective rules in place. They say some restrictions (set asides, caps) are needed in order for them to be able grab a slice from the lucrative, high quality, 700 MHz wireless spectrum to go on auction likely in 2012 or 2013.
In November, Industry Canada launched a consultation on a technical framework to auction spectrum in the band 698-806 MHz (also known as the 700 MHz band). Comments were sought on general policy considerations related to commercial mobile broadband spectrum use, competition issues and on the use of the band for commercial mobile services. The submission deadline was Monday, February 28.
“There is absolutely no need or justification for a spectrum set-aside in the upcoming spectrum auction. AWS new entrants have entered the wireless market and are already making inroads in major Canadian cities,” says the submission from Rogers Communications, which calls for an open auction. “Set-asides, spectrum caps and auction caps will artificially restrain Rogers.”
“No participant in the 700 MHz auction should be able to acquire more than 2 paired blocks of 700 MHz spectrum, whether contiguous or not,” reads Shaw Communications’ submission, which counters Rogers in asking for a couple of rules.
And given Bell and Telus together built a single HSPA+ wireless network, those two companies “should be considered one bidder for purposes of the 700 MHz auction,” continues the Shaw submission. “The series of arrangements between them have resulted in a completely integrated national wireless network and an understanding between them relating to the post-auction market structure.”
This spectrum is the good stuff, the next generation spectrum everyone wants that is great for multimedia, able to break into strong buildings in a single text and leap large rural areas with very few towers…
At first glance (and believe you me, we’ve barely had a first glance at just a few of the submissions released by some at 5 p.m. Monday) an auction cap – where providers would be limited in just how much spectrum they can buy – is one concept many will agree on.
Now, just what those caps will be and how the rules will be written is (obviously) still to be determined.
Watch Cartt.ca Tuesday and later in the week for a more detailed analysis of what the industry players are asking Industry Canada for in the 700 MHz spectrum auction.
